DRAMATIZATION

12.22.12

CIA: ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Not Realistic

Jonathan Olley via Columbia Pictures

In a rare public statement by the tight-lipped, top-secret CIA, acting director Mike Morell announced to agency employees that the new movie Zero Dark Thirty is a “dramatization, not a realistic portrayal of the facts.” Morell expressed specific concerns with the film’s depiction of waterboarding as “crucial” to the hunt for Osama bin Laden and took issue with the appearance of only a few agents in the hunt. “The operation was a team effort-and a very large team at that,” he said. The CIA’s public affairs office did interact with Zero Dark Thirty’s filmmakers, but reportedly had zero control over the final product.